Visiting The Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies At Landsford Canal State Park on U.S. Memorial Day Weekend

Greetings & Salutations, Y'all!

Here in South Carolina and the United States this is U.S. Memorial Day weekend. For many Americans, this is a three-day weekend honoring those U.S. military personal who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the United States in all of this country's wars.

In addition to the solemn act of visiting and decorating the graves of the honored dead, the holiday -- which falls on the final Monday of May each year -- is also a weekend where many American citizens celebrate the unofficial start of the coming summer time activities, especially the younger people who get out of school for the next few months.

Many honor this holiday by various means from large family gatherings and backyard parties, to the humble act of decorating the graves of U.S. military service personal -- sometimes both depending on the person. 

I spend the Friday before this year's U.S. Memorial Day weekend enjoying a nice peaceful drive out to nearby Landsford Canal State Park in northeastern Chester County, South Carolina, along the Catawba River in order to enjoy a special one-a-year treat. 

The state park is the home of the largest known stand of beautiful Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies (Hymenocallis coronaria), which are only known to grow in the Southern U.S. States of South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. 

The peak time of the year to see them in full bloom is mid-to-late May when these rare flowers blanket the rocky shoals of the Catawba River in a beautiful white and green.

I captured some really great shots of these amazing flowers for y'all to enjoy, along with some other shots of the beautiful views along the river hiking trail and the lock ruins that the park is named for.  

I took a moment to sit at this bench and just enjoy the view and
the sounds of nature.

I did, thank you.

A beautiful American Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus).
The blue tail signifies that its a juvenile.

Overall, it was a peaceful way to spend a beautiful spring day and enjoy the wonders of this world God blessed us with.

That being said, when I returned and drove through my hometown of Chester, I made it a point to make a few stops along the way to honor and to remember the men and boys from Chester County who sacrificed themselves in America's wars for my peaceful day off. 

Thank you....you are not forgotten!

Rocky Shoals Spider Lillies At Landsford Canal State Park

Despite living about 20 miles from the place, I have very rarely ever visited Landsford Canal State Park in the summertime. This is largely due to the abundance of snakes (particularly poisonous ones like the Cottonmouth Water Moccasin and Eastern Copperhead) along the Catawba River in the late spring and summer months. 

My personal hang-ups about certain reptiles aside, the summer months by the river are very hot and muggy here in South Carolina. I usually like to take trips to Lansford Canal in the late fall as the leaves have turned. That is when the place is at it's most picturesque. I plan to return in early, or mid November to get some photos of the river and the fall colors. 

The Rocky Shoals Spider Lily
(Hymenocallis coronaria).

I did have a particular mission on this late spring trip. To photograph the abundant -- and quite rarely seen -- Rocky Shoals Spider Lillies (Hymenocallis coronaria) that bloom in late May - June on the river. 

Landsford Canal State Park hugs the last free-flowing stretch of the Catawba River between Lake Wylie in York County and the Cedar Creek Dam at Great Falls. Along the site of historic Landsford Canal on the river are a large stretch of rocky shoals so close together that one can actually walk across the length of this shallow section of the river on them at certain times when the current is slow. It is on these shoals that the largest known stand of the beautiful Shoals Spider Lily bloom, blanketing that stretch of the river in an absolutely stunning display of white and green. 

The Shoals Spider Lily -- which can be found in both Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama -- requires clean free-flowing water with an uneven rocky bottom to root. Unfortunately, most of the free-flowing shoals on the Catawba River have largely vanished. This is primarily because of the hydroelectric dams built along the rocky elevation drops to take advantage of the natural water power. 

The Rocky Shoals Spider Lily has likewise become rare and endangered.  

Thankfully due to wise management in public, private and corporate groups working together in conservation and preservation efforts with the SC State Parks management, the spider lillies still have a place to grow and be appreciated by naturalists like myself. 

So on this trip I brought along my sister's little boys, both of whom had already run out of ideas for summer vacation and needed to get away from their online game systems for awhile -- though not because they wanted to, their mom made them go. Still they did have a good time and afterwards were treated to McDonalds. Yours truly abstained from the fast food. 

I hope that y'all appreciate the photos I took. I am sorry I could not get closer than the overlook at the end of the trail, but I wasn't about to go out on slippery rocks with two younger kids who's mom would kick my ass if either of them got snake bit walking on my watch while along the plants. That and the park rules make that area off limits to anyone but people going through on kayaks. 

Please enjoy the photos. 

Landsford Historical Marker.

If you look closely in the water you can see a
Whooping Crane (Grus americana) standing in the
water looking for a meal.

One of the locks of the old canal.
There are more of them but I am saving that and the story of the canal for my fall trip.

My nephews Caleab and Tyler Morris.

Found this little fella on the path. Have no idea what species
of moth this harry little guy will turn into.
We moved him to the nearby bushes and continued on.

At last we arrive at the shoals!

Tyler and Caleab make a new friend.